Universities get dire warning about state budget plans - Kurt Erickson, Pantagraph

The state's higher education czar issued a dire budget warning to the presidents of Illinois' public universities Friday, telling them to be prepared for cuts in state funding of up to 30 percent over the next 18 months. "They have asked us to prepare a budget recommendation for FY 16 involving a 20 percent reduction. We may also be asked to create spending reserves of 5 percent or 10 percent out of our existing budget for the remainder of FY15," Applegate noted in the email obtained by the Lee Enterprises Springfield bureau. The message was not unexpected among university administrators. "We knew something like this was coming," Southern Illinois University President Randy Dunn said in an interview Sunday. "We've spent some time trying to get our ducks in a row. We're not starting from ground zero on this." It's not clear if Rauner's budget transition team is asking other state agencies to prepare for similar reductions, but Rauner spokesman Mike Schrimpf said the political newcomer from Winnetka "is taking seriously his duty to responsibly manage the broken budget he will inherit and is also beginning preparations for next fiscal year." http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/education/universities-get-dire-warning-about-state-budget-plans/article_04711899-3228-508c-b623-411dbf465db0.html